In the tradition of the
Pixies and
Pavement, Austin noise-pop quartet
Peel's debut album subverts its catchy pop tunes with slatherings of lo-fi tape grot, feedback, tape loops and needling keyboards in the manner of
Brian Eno's contributions to early
Roxy Music. Singing guitarists Josh Permenter and Dakota Smith have the whole
Stephen Malkmus can't-be-bothered mumble down cold, and songs like "Bells" and "Workers, Wake Up!" have the lysergic pop rush of classic Elephant 6 tunes. The thing is, while the band's antecedents and influences could not possibly be more obvious -- mention should also be made of
Chris Knox, both solo and with the
Tall Dwarfs -- these 11 songs are so charming in their exuberance and playfulness that charges of lack of originality are pretty much beside the point. Perhaps their next album will sound more like
Peel and less like a giddy mishmash of the average aging hipster thirty-something's iPod, but in the meantime, this is a fun listen despite its flaws. ~ Stewart Mason